As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, the BrUNIMA Bulletin continued its global survey of puppetry with insight, curiosity, and dedication. Issues 103 and 104—Robert Fowler’s final as editor—offer a vibrant farewell to his tenure, with dispatches from Bali, Berlin, Mumbai, and beyond. These editions highlight puppet festivals in Slovakia and Poland, debates on terminology (puppentheater vs. figurentheater), carving techniques in Bruges, and Punch’s curious acoustics. Contributions range from Greek shadow theatre and Indian dance-drama traditions to experimental works like The Chimp Project by Handspring Puppet Company. A rich blend of commentary, historical enquiry, and live performance reviews rounds out this final leg of a remarkable editorial journey.

Download the issues below or explore them online with the page-turner links.

Bulletin Issue 103, Published March 2000

Bulletin Issue 104, Published July 2000

BrUNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 103 March 2000

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Another assortment of puppetry from around the world. Stephanie Green, In Wayang Kulit in Bali, relates her backstage view of a traditional performance by famous dalang, I Wayan Wjja. Peter Charlton provides a detailed review of the 19th Ogόlnopolski Festival Teatrόw Lalek and Robert Fowler the Banská Bystrica Festival organised by Anton Anderle which marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the family’s theatre inRadvaň. Dirk Hansen describes the Berlin Puppet Theatre Museum and Robert Fowler rehearses the Puppentheater vs Figurentheater argument. Penny Francis reviews Romeo e Giulietta by Teatro Carretto and announces a new UNIMA publication. All the above is mixed in with Robert’s Media Watch, and much home news including an account of a performance of Maria Marten by the Tiller-Clowes Victorian Marionettes at the Theatre Museum.

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 104 July 2000

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This 40 page issue is the last to be edited by Robert Fowler. John Morley writes on Fasulis a traditional Greek puppet and Stephanie Green on Dance Dramas, Topeng, Gendèr Workshops, and Mask-Makers in Bali. Penny Francis experiences a Rajasthani puppet show when visiting Mumbai, and reports on a production of Gounod’s Faust involving the London-Munich Puppet Players. Robert writes more on puppetry in the Czech Lands and Dan Bishop, in Mr Punch & the Tringle Factor, describes the Le Printemps de la Marionnette festival in Liège. Glyn Edwards explains the techniques of the Pivetta and Swazzle and Ted Beresford describes Puppet Carving in Bruges. Jane Phillips suggests that the waxworks mentioned in Strolling Players – an essay by Ffrancis G Payne, reprinted here, are those of the D’Arc company. Bob Frith, in Who put the Marie in Marionette?, recalls the experiences of a Horse + Bamboo performance in Westminster Abbey and Basil Jones of Handspring recounts the creation of The Chimp Project about the relationships between chimpanzees and humans.

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In this set of bulletins from 1999, the BrUNIMA Bulletin continues its rich chronicle of puppetry across cultures and centuries. Edited by Robert Fowler, Issues 100 to 102 take readers from the shadowy elegance of Indonesian Wayang Golek to the political undercurrents of Semarang’s puppet stages, and from the fiery mishaps of 18th-century English puppet shows to vibrant festivals in Prague, Seattle, and London. Scholarly articles, historical curiosities, and heartfelt tributes—including farewells to influential figures like Jacques Lecoq and Harry Tozer—make this trio of issues a compelling snapshot of puppetry's global and evolving legacy.

Below, you’ll find download links and online page-turners for each issue.

Bulletin issue 100, published March 1999

Bulletin Issue 101, Published July 1999

Bulletin Issue 102, Published Nov 1999

British UNIMA Bulletin Issue 100 March 1999

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Indonesian Puppetry is featured with Robert Fowler’s The Theatre State and The Golden Sword – Stamford Raffles and the East, and Anna Ingleby’s Wayang Golek – Puppeteers of West Java. John Morley writes on Mester Jakel – the Punch Tradition in Denmark, and Robert on Henrik Kemény and the Hungarian folk hero Vitéz Lázlό. The Théâtres de Papier Festival at Troyes is reviewed by Charles Broughton and Penny Francis reports on the Australian Puppet Scene. Deaths recorded were Jerzy Grotowski, Jacques Lecoq, and Christine Glanville. A round up of much topical news and varied titbits of puppet-related information complete this issue.

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 101 July 1999

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George Speaight’s Nineteenth-Century Puppet Heroes of Northern Italy provides a detailed study of the puppet traditions associated with certain Italian cities and areas. John Blundall analyses the painting Puppets by Alvaro Guevara and Peter Peasgood reports on the1999 Toy Theatre Symposium held at Oldenburg. The New Order and Reformasi by Tjahjono Rahardjo recounts how the ‘yellowizing programme’ affected wayang performances in Semarang. Obituaries include Harry Tozer UNIMA Member of Honour; Peter Brough, the renown ventriloquist; Arlyn Coad, artistic director of Coad Canada Puppets; and Professor John Varey, an authority on history of Spanish puppet theatre.

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 102 November 1999

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David Powell’s Puppet Pyrotechnics, Chester 1772 tells of the explosion which killed 23 people at a puppet show, and the subsequent sermon on the vile nature of puppetry! In the same vein, Robert Fowler’s Fireworks, Puppets, and Jacks of All Trades tells of another fatal explosion when puppeteers Lawrence & Son were making fireworks and reflects on the use of fire in performance. Festival reviews include the Seattle PoA Festival by Glyn Edwards, the Prague Festival of Marionette Arts for Children, and Puppets at the City of London Festival by Peter Charlton. In Stringed Actors of Rajasthan in the 1990s Janet Macallister describes puppets and shows seen during her visit to India, and Penny Francis reports on UNIMA activity in Brazil and Croatia. John McCormick provides a review of Henryk Jurkowski’s History of the European Puppet Theatre – the 20th Century.

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We’re pleased to share the 1998 editions of the British UNIMA Centre Bulletin, thoughtfully edited by Robert Fowler. These three issues (97–99) offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of puppetry at the turn of the millennium. From Victorian marionette traditions in Scotland to contemporary festivals, prison puppetry projects, and in-depth features from Myanmar, Switzerland, and Eastern Europe, this collection captures a year of rich, international exploration. Each bulletin reflects BrUNIMA’s commitment to preserving and sharing the diverse voices and practices that shape the puppetry landscape.

Below, you can download the full issues or view them online using the page-turner links.

Bulletin issue 97, Published March 1997

Bulletin issue 98, Published July 1998

Bulletin issue 99, Published Nov 1998

British UNIMA Centre Bulletin issue 97, Published March 1997

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BrUNIMA Bulletin 97 Published March 1998 takes a reflective look at the Victorian marionette companies in Scotland, shedding light on their pivotal role in shaping the art form. It delves into the comedic world of Mamulengo puppets, featuring insightful commentary from experts like Cariad Astles, and highlights the Eastbourne Toy Theatre Festival. Further enriching the issue, we explore the traditions of puppet shows in Northern Dubrogea and peek into the unique Swiss-German puppetry scene. You'll also find updates on various media in the world of puppetry, including a piece on backstage gossip, as well as an obituary for the influential Jan Wilkowski. With a detailed look at the Belgo-British Festival, this bulletin is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolving and enduring legacy of puppetry across the globe.

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 98 July 1998

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The twinning of BrUNIMA Belgium UNIMA continues with an account of the visit to London and Birmingham by the Belgian puppeteers to the Belgo-British Festival. Mickey Aronoff concludes her notes on Swiss-German Puppetry and presents the first part of her report of the Charleville Puppets in Prison Conference. The approach of the millennium year prompts Darius Halpern to review Millennium I,a puppet play by WA Dwiggins. John Phillips reviews Popular Puppet Theatre in Europe, 1800-1914 by John McCormick and Bennie Pratasik, and Penny Francis reports on the 1998 Bielsko-Biala Festival with latest news from the UNIMa Publication Commission. Meg Amsden summarises the Romanian and UK Eco Puppets Project at the Shadows of the Delta Conference, and Robert Fowler in addition to his regular Media Watch, provides notes on the Vietnam National Puppet Theatre and a review of a puppet production of Le Nozze di Figaro by the Sládek Mime Theatre from Bratislava.

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British UNIMA Bulletin Issue 99 November 1998

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Another around the world issue. Janet Macallister’s Dancers on Strings describes in detail the Puppetry in Myanmar. Penny Francis reviews Beggars Belief, a collaboration of Trestle Theatre and Kherson Theatre from Ukraine, and the puppetry of Milan Sládek at the Slovak National Theatre is described by Lorraine von Gehlen, while Robert Fowler looks at the puppetry of Anton Anderle’s family tree and at La Danse des Kachina exhibition of figures associated with the Pueblo Indians. Mickey Aronoff concludes her report on Puppets in Prisons Conference containing accounts from Mexico, USA and UK. There are obituaries for John Phillips – historian and aesthetician of the English marionette theatre by John McCormick and John Furse; Peter Scriven director of the Marionette Theatre of Australia; and Lee Tien-lu described as a ‘national treasure’ of Taiwan.

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These three bulletins from 1997 capture a vibrant year in British UNIMA’s history, beginning with the first issue under new editorship. Inside, you’ll find reflections on the twinning trip to Belgium, explorations of historic and international puppetry (from Javanese shadow figures to WWI front-line theatres), scholarly reviews, festival reports from across Europe and the Americas, and new insights into the ancestry of Punch & Pulcinella. Contributors include Robert Fowler, George Speaight, Penny Francis, Robin Linklater, John Phillips, and many others.

Whether you're a practitioner, scholar, or enthusiast, there's a rich mix of reports, theory, and commentary to explore.

You can view each issue online as a page-turner, or download a full copy via the links by clicking on the relevant issue and downloading.

BrUNIMA Bulletin issue:94, March 1997

BrUNIMA Bulletin issue:95, July 1997

BrUNIMA Bulletin issue:96 November 1997

British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 94 23 March 1997

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 94 23 March 1997 Hastiere British UNIMA, UNIMA Belgique This first issue first to be edited by Robert Fowler features the twinning of BrUNIMA with Belgium UNIMA. John Furse provides notes and impressions on the tour to puppetry venues in Belgium by 18 of our members, and Ted and Kath Beresford describe their visit to Bruges and Ghent. Ursula Bach and Bianca Oestmann write about Puppet Theatre on the Front Lines of World War II. Graham Lee writes on Puppets in Theory and John Phillips reviews The Colour of Sculpture 1840-1910 exhibition and its relationship to puppetry. Ray DaSilva reviews the recent Colwyn Bay Puppetry Weekend which included the auction of Eric Bramall’s marionettes of the Harlequin Theatre. There is an obituary for Tom Howard who played a significant part in the development of BrUNIMa. Tributes are paid to the previous editor John Blundall, who produced the previous 55 issues of this magazine.

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 95 July 1997

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 95 July 1997 Here are further echoes of the twinning trip to Belgium. A La Tringle is an exploration of Belgian rod marionette technique by John Phillips, and Mechelen Mechanics by Ray DaSilva explains the light wall developments by the Mechels Stadspoppentheater. Peter Peasgood contributes a review of the Toy Theatre Symposium, Stuttgart March 1997, and Anna Ingleby looks at the life and work of prominent Javanese dalang, Pak Sukasman, and lists the rules for wayang kulit figure proportions. Rackel Riggs, director of Puppet Up! Blackpool Festival describes its planning, hassles and successes. Robert Fowler comments on recent political events and summarises the lecture The Rise of the Puppeteer by Penny Francis.

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 96 November 1997

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British UNIMA Centre Bulletin Issue 96 November 1997 Apart from George Speaight’s new conclusions about the ancestry of Punch & Pulcinella this issue is mainly reviews of puppet festivals around the world. Robert Fowler provides more details of the BrUNIMA visit to Belgium. John Phillips visits the 10th Preetzer Papiertheatertreffen and Anna Ingleby describes Indonesian Puppet-Related Performances at a festival in West Java. Mickey Aronoff goes to the Toledo Puppeteers of America Festival and the Huamantla, Mexico festival. Robin Linklater in The Fairy Urgele in Thurso describes rehearsal and performance by the Wasa Marionettopera from Sweden and also gives impressions of the 1997 Charleville Festival. Ted Beresford reviews Hj. Fettig’s new book, Rod Puppets & Table-Top Puppets, and Charles Broughton reviews The Golem by Gustav Meyrink topped up by Robert in Praga Magica. Penny Francis has news of various UNIMA Commissions and the preliminary stages of the World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts.

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Index Bulletins 94 to 104

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